Long Awaited Pics

I guess it's about time I show you our new home. 

At this rate we'll be moving again before I get these pictures up:)

Come on in, I'll give you a tour!

 When you walk in the door, 

to the left is the door to the 2 car garage and straight on is the basement stairs. 

It's a split level ranch so it's a few steps up and the living room is on the right.

The kitties love the sunny bay window.

I love the fireplace- can't wait for snow!

Next you walk into the kitchen counter area (from the left)

Here is the dining area.

And another favorite place of mine and the kitties- the sun porch.

It's a nice size, I'm looking forward to getting some patio furniture for it by this Spring.

Up a few steps to the hallway and the bathroom is to the right.

Spare bedroom to the left.

The boys call it my bed & breakfast room 

because I have a some antique furniture and chotchkies around.

It's the spare room until one of our sweet girls need/want  to come home :) 

Our bedroom is next on the left with two nice sunny windows. 

I was able to fit the chase in my room- a great place to read.

Chris's room is across from ours- no pictures available :)

Come and visit us!!!

Happy Birthday Ken!

Yesterday was Ken's big five-O birthday. He woke up to his gift sitting in the living room.

I think a rocking chair was appropriate for this particular birthday :)

He's been wanting a Cracker Barrel rocker for a while. This one has a small American Flag coin that says "United we stand"

They surprised him at work by filling his office with all things 50 (pencils, markers, stickers, erasers, batteries, matchbox cars, etc... ) Also, a potluck Italian lunch. They really like him at the base :)

We went to dinner at Opa Opa (steak house).

And Birthday ice cream cake- of course!

Happy Birthday sweets.

Did You Know It Was Cat Week?

My "cat lady" daughter, Gabrielle informed me that this week was cat week. It's been a while since I had a cat blog so here we go... 

to honor those cute & cuddly friends who add a little bit of happiness to our lives!

I will start by sharing some of our "pet name" for our pets- terms of endearment, right?

Marilyn

Mar bear, Fat-so, Mean-Girl, Fat Cat, Wadsworth, 

Beautiful, Chub en Stein, Pugsley, Chubawuba, & Fat Girl.

Chris calls her- fat piece of crap but I don't think that's a pet name :(

Macey

Macers, Squirrel, Wiener, Banshee, Little Mau, Fluffin-Stuff, & Princess

Maggie

Maggie May, Crack Cat, Under the Couch Kittie, Stick Tail, Crazy Eyes, Mags, & Maggels

Maggie is in State College with Danielle right now being an only child and loving it!

We refer to the two long haired cats as Fluffins or furballs.

We love them for so many reasons.

Always hungry

Always begging.

I want out.

I want in.

Majestic Tails!

Playful

Adorable

Green eyes

Sun Bathers

Lap Cat

Snugly

Cuddly

Scary

Company

Here's to our little friends everywhere!

Ashley Reservoir

Massachusetts has so many gems tucked away here and there. We have been finding them one by one.

We visited a nearby reservoir a few weeks back and I wanted to share a few pictures with you.

The kids and Ken went on the weekend of his Pin-On but I had to work.

The walking paths go right through parts of the reservoir.

It was almost 4 miles around with parts of the path going through wooded areas.

Very cool place!

Leafers

Christopher informed us that the appropriate term for people who leave their area in search for fall leaves are called leafers.

So, Ken and I were leafers today!

I'm beginning to understand why New England gets so much attention, especially in the Fall. It is actually pretty around here all year, but the Fall really brings out the beauty of the landscape.

We started our day in Historical Deerfield village, a restored 18 century English settlement. A little mulled hot cider made the visit enchanting.

These pumpkins are even bigger than they look in this picture!

The day was filled with lots of driving down the Mohawk Trail in Northwest MA.

We made some scenic stops like this river in Charmont , MA.

My favorite picture of the day.

We also stopped at some antique and gift shops. We really enjoy looking at old stuff :)

This was a scenic lookout in Florida, Ma ironically, the coldest point in MA.

The sun was behind the clouds most of the day so the colors were not as vibrant as we hoped. The sights were still breathtaking though. 

I took this picture across the road when Ken was gassing up! I could live here!

What a great way to spend the day, with my favorite person, doing some of my favorite things.

Boys and Toys

This was supposed to be a blog about my weekend but it turns out the only pictures I came home with were of the cutest grandchild ever: Benny!

I pulled out my camera Sat morning and this is the face I got. What a ham! Mom has really conditioned him for the camera.

Chris, Jared, and I played with Benny and toys all morning while mom & Ken ran and Andy was doing some work with the car. 

Ben was enamored with Kiss (Chris), it was so fun to watch!

The big boys got into the action later with Andy's Nerf gun collection.

Ben loved being target practice- he's already a guy.

He did eventually get bored with it and deposited all the Nerf bullets down the stairs.

Smart kid!

It was fun, thanks Heather & Andy for always making us feel welcome.